One Night in Georgia
by violetkitty
Summary: When Sophie-Anne Caldwell told Leonard McCoy to marry someone else, she thought it would be the last time she ever saw him. Now, ten years later, the two are thrown together on the Enterprise. Covers ST:2009, Into Darkness, and beyond. Fair warning there's going to be a strange Spock/Sophie-Anne/Bones love triangle. You can't say I didn't warn you...
1. Chapter 1

"I thought you said you had to study." Leonard McCoy trudged after Kirk, who led on like an exuberant puppy. The sidewalk was clogged, with Starfleet emptied out into the city for a night of drinking and dancing. McCoy just wished he was back at the apartment he shared with Kirk, allowed to sit quietly with a glass of whiskey. But Kirk had come racing home, thrown together a drink, and demanded that McCoy get dressed for the bar.

"Change of plans, Bones. I've been trying to get Fi to come out for three years. I need a witness, I doubt it'll ever happen again." He tried to downplay it, but McCoy could tell Kirk was excited. Over the years McCoy had heard a lot about "Fi", the cadet Kirk had met at the workout center. He'd never seen the girl, but Kirk thought a lot of her.

"Any girl that rejects you is okay in my book, I like her already," McCoy said, narrowly dodging a young cadet sprinting toward a trash can to throw up.

Kirk laughed, giving his friend a glance over his shoulder. "It's not like that, I've told you before. She just works way too hard, and I'm going to make sure she has a good time."

McCoy shook his head, barely able to bite back the response that sprang to his tongue. _Poor kid, probably even believes that. I've never seen Jim walk past a girl he didn't try to get into bed. Hope this one knows what she's in for._

They were heading for one of the smaller haunts downtown. It was popular with the higher ups because of the relaxed bar area, but still drew in the cadets with a packed dance floor one level down. McCoy hoped that he would be able to have one drink and discreetly disappear, and thankfully the place seemed packed. Someone had dimmed the lights and turned up the music, making it almost impossible to see. Jim scanned the crowd, eyes stopping near the line for the bar.

"Fi!" Kirk called out, using a stranger's shoulders to get leverage as he waved an arm. A girl looked up, barely able to turn her head before Jim collided with her, picking her up off her feet in a hug.

"Down please!" she screamed over the din of voices, laughing as Kirk set her back in place. By then McCoy was close enough to see her features, and it felt like his throat closed up. Golden brown hair, hastily pinned up out of her face, dark eyes and full lips... ten years and 3000 miles from the start, he would know that face anywhere.

"Sophie-Anne." McCoy's whisper was lost in the noise of laughter and clattering glasses.

"I thought you had a date tonight... oh wait, I mean a "study session"," she said with a smirk, accepting the drink the bartender handed her. Without asking McCoy knew exactly what the glass contained, a whiskey sour with a twist of lime.

"There's no way I'd miss this, we should declare a national holiday: The Day Fi Put Down Her Book," Kirk said, holding up two fingers to the bartender to get two more of what she was having. He downed one as soon as it was in his hand and then gave her a once over with his eyes. "I have to say, I'm surprised. You clean up okay after all; it's nice to see you in something besides your uniform."

"Unlike some people, I have an actual work ethic. We can't all get by on charm and blue eyes," Sophie-Anne said as she sipped her drink and peered over Kirk's shoulder. "Who's your friend?"

"I couldn't believe you actually agreed to come out, so I had to bring a witness. Bones, this is the infamous Sophie-Anne." It took McCoy a moment to realize Sophie-Anne was holding her hand out.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, voice barely cutting through the din. Not knowing what else to do McCoy took her hand and shook it, searching her face for some clue as to whether or not she really didn't recognize him. She just smiled at him amicably, then held her drink above her head to keep Kirk from spilling it. "JT, watch the elbows!"

"Bottoms up," he demanded, waiting until she'd drained the glass and then pulling her up onto his back. "We're dancing, Bones, let's go!"

They were off down the stairs then, Sophie-Anne's laughter filtering back up to assault his ears. Together Kirk and Sophie-Anne waded into the sea of people, a loud techno song pounding in the soles of his shoes. McCoy watched as Kirk grabbed her up around the waist, spinning her around recklessly. Her head was thrown back, hair escaping from the clip and spilling into waves on her shoulders, and McCoy felt his teeth grind together.

Jim was dancing with Sophie-Anne. Sophie-Anne was enrolled in Starfleet. Kirk was going to sleep with her. Fingernails dug into McCoy's palms as his fists bunched tighter, unable to look away as the music rose, sending the dancers into frenzy. Kirk and Sophie-Anne jumped in the center, and it wasn't until McCoy saw him lean in and whisper in her ear that he forced himself to turn, leaving his drink on the counter and escaping out the side door.

XXXX

In the center of the dance floor, Sophie-Anne Caldwell was barely keeping it together. Kirk grabbed her up around the waist, which was good because she wasn't sure she was going to be able to keep standing on her own. Sweat was beginning to pool in the small of her back, and when she looked up Kirk had that hopeful look on his face.

"What did you say?" She had to scream over the music, electronic sound pushing the people in around them.

"Do you want to get some air?" He took her wrist and stepped back, creating a small pocket for her to breathe in. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Sophie-Anne tried not to laugh, because Jim had just described exactly how she felt. Kirk's friend "Bones" was Leonard McCoy. Sophie-Anne hadn't seen him in ten years, not since convincing him to marry someone else, and the look on his face was worse than a knife to the stomach. She'd tried to play it off, pretend like she didn't know him, but within five seconds of seeing his face she felt sixteen all over again.

"I'm fine, just tired I guess."

The look Kirk gave her was valid disbelief. "Fi, you can run further than anyone I've ever met, and you're winded after two minutes of dancing? Tell the truth, you're just a lightweight, aren't you?" He smirked, and in that moment Sophie-Anne saw McCoy turn, slipping out the side door, and her lungs emptied. Maybe she wouldn't see him again. He was Kirk's friend, after all, no reason she'd have to bump into him again.

"Please, I'll drink your scrawny butt under the table," Sophie-Anne declared, smiling more brightly than was necessary, then grabbed his hand to lead him toward the lower bar.

"There's nothing wrong with my butt…" he grumbled, ordering for the both of them when the bartender finally turned their way. The moment he stopped talking a green skinned cadet Sophie-Anne knew was named Gaila jumped onto Kirk's back with a happy scream, lighthearted accusations streaming from her lips.

"You said you had a family emergency, Jim!" she cried with a pout, casting a disapproving look at Sophie-Anne. Instead of being offended Sophie-Anne smiled at the girl, reaching out to give Kirk's cheek a squeeze.

"Well, JT's pretty much like a brother to me, so I can see how he'd get confused. I'm Sophie-Anne," she said, holding out her hand, and the budding jealousy in Gaila's eyes died as she held out her own.

"I didn't mean to interrupt you guys, I'm here with a couple of friends. My roommate's in the long range sensor lab, she should be gone all night, so I thought I'd come out for a drink and then head home and enjoy the peace and quiet…" Gaila's invitation was obvious, but Kirk seemed to be still stuck back at the word "brother". Sophie-Anne knew she'd have to take charge, so she shot him a stern look.

"You heard the girl! Be a gentleman, buy her a drink! I'm going to head home anyway; this crowd is a little rowdy for my tastes." Sophie-Anne finished off her drink and smiled at Gaila. "It was nice to meet you, make sure he gets home in one piece, okay?"

She only got two steps away before he caught up with her, a disappointed look on his face. "Don't go, Fi. I've wanted to take you out for a long time, but it's impossible to get you away from the library…"

Sophie-Anne smiled, shaking her head. "JT, that Orion girl is in straight up love with you. You should show her a good time," she said, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "Don't stay out too late, you've got the test in the morning. You sure are a glutton for punishment."

With that she was off, leaving him alone in the crowd. He had to laugh, because she was right in more ways than one. When Gaila found him again he did just as his friend had commanded, ordering drinks for them both and then dragging her out onto the dance floor.

XXXX

When the door buzzed at 1am, Spock nearly ignored it. He was still up preparing coursework for the next day, and unannounced visitors that late at night tended to be drunk cadets who had been dared to ring the bell and run away. With a few swipes of the monitor mounted on the wall he activated the camera, revealing a tired looking girl leaning against the wall. Sophie-Anne.

He didn't hesitate then, opening the door and moving to the side to allow her to slide past. She smelled like whiskey and night air, alcohol only barely able to dull the agitation he could feel pouring off of her. "Sophie-Anne, it is late," he said, watching as she shrugged her coat off onto the floor. He had to resist the urge to pick it up and place it on the rack, instead focusing on how uncharacteristically quiet she was.

"You're still up. Working on lesson plans?" she finally asked, tapping a finger against the PADD he'd dropped onto the sofa.

"I will be overseeing the Koboyashi Maru in the morning, which leaves me little time to prepare the first year Klingon history course for the afternoon," he explained, even though he could see she wasn't listening. "Is something the matter? You appear... anxious."

She sat down the couch, laying the discarded PADD down on the end table and drawing her knees up to her chin. He took a cautious seat by her side.

"Have you seen Uhura tonight?" she asked. He didn't like the way his heart jumped at that question, as if Sophie-Anne had any other reason for asking about their mutual friend. Shoving away the uncomfortable thought he shook his head.

"It is my understanding she will be in the long range sensor lab for the remainder of the evening."

Sophie-Anne sighed. "Figures." She lay down, picking up a hard throw pillow and stuffing it under her head. "Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I don't really want to be alone."

The concept didn't register with the Vulcan. "Surely you would be more comfortable in your bed, I do not comprehend-"

"I know you don't," she interrupted. "Just trust me, okay?

After a moment's consideration, Spock went to retrieve a blanket.

XXXX

_AN: Hey guys! Writing an OC for Star Trek is just... like a rite of passage! It's going to be cheesy, romantic, and fun... I will get facts wrong, but let's have a blast anyway! I haven't forgotten about A Different Kind of Ghost, just been moving around a lot and haven't had a chance to update. Did post a new trailer for that on the youtubes (cherrypinupgirl), can't wait to do one for this story :) Definitely going to use Jenna Coleman (love her!)_


	2. Chapter 2

Kirk was still a little drunk when he got back to the apartment. In trying to be stealthy he managed to knock over an end table stacked with beer bottles he'd left out to annoy his roommate. McCoy hated clutter, and like everything else got really angry about it. There were times when Kirk just couldn't help pushing his buttons, it was so much fun to watch him explode, and that night it was clear it wouldn't take much to push the doctor over the edge.

"Did you sleep with her?" McCoy asked, and Kirk nearly fell over the couch. McCoy was sitting at the kitchen table in the dark, a half empty bottle by his side.

"Why are you sitting in the dark? You know how creepy that is?" Kirk asked, tossing his shirt and coat onto a chair. He hadn't bothered with anything more than his pants after Uhura had kicked him out, wandering all the way across campus without a shirt on. He considered it a public service to all the female cadets who happened to look out their windows...

"Damn it, Jim, I asked you a question. Did you you sleep with her?" McCoy sounded especially irritated, and Kirk didn't quite understand why. From what he could remember, with the multiple whiskey sour's dulling his thoughts, McCoy didn't really think much of Gaila. Thought she was too noisy and a little airheaded. If anyone could resist Orion pheromones, it would the Leonard McCoy.

"Well, there was a small interruption. It was the weirdest thing, she said she loved me..." Kirk began to explain, thinking how funny it was that Sophie-Anne had told him that was the case before he realized it himself.

"Sophie-Anne said she loves you?"

"Huh? Bones, are you drunk?" Kirk stumbled a little, righting himself on on the kitchen island. McCoy didn't answer, just stood up. His chair scraped against the tile, nearly upending, and he stormed into his bedroom. Kirk got there before he could slam the door, leaning against the frame. "You know her, don't you? You've been holding out on me!"

"I don't want to talk about it."

This was too good. "Ooh, you guys have some sort of tortured past! You've got that same look on your face as when we ran into that nurse you used to date. I didn't sleep with her, you know, though not for lack of trying."

McCoy was through with the conversation, clearly, because he'd come back, shoved Kirk back into the common room, and yanked the door shut. "Go to sleep, Jim." Kirk couldn't help but laugh, seeing his usually crabby roommate stomping around like a teenager was the best entertainment he'd had all night.

"But I want to hear the story! I probably should have guessed, Fi did say she grew up in Georgia," Kirk whined, but the door didn't budge. "You're going to have to tell me eventually. Or maybe I'll get her to tell me, though it didn't really seem like she remembered you..."

McCoy slumped down on the bed, struggling to tune his roommate out. She _had_ acted like she didn't remember him, but he knew she did. She had to, even after all the years that had passed... they'd been through too much.

XXXX

Georgia, 2244

They hadn't been to the Caldwell's beach house on Tybee Island in two years. During those two years Leonard's parent's had gotten divorced, his mother had remarried, and his life had become a living hell.

"Put the window up, Leonard. The air is on," his stepfather Garrett said, giving him a sharp glance in the mirror. _Just one more year, and I'll be out of here_, he reminded himself, and pressed the button to raise the window and avoid an argument. Arguments with his stepfather were never winnable, and usually ended in a bruise of some sort.

"Olivia says Sophie-Anne can't wait to see you, Len," his mother said, in an awkward attempt to lighten the mood. Leonard just groaned. The last time he'd seen Sophie-Anne she was nothing more than a scrawny thirteen-year-old with braces and a crush on him. The thought of spending an entire summer being trailed by a lovesick teenage puppy was almost too much to handle.

"I could have stayed home on my own, I'm nearly eighteen..." Leonard couldn't help but grumble under his breath, causing Garrett to grip the steering wheel.

"What did you say?" Garrett's voice held a clear warning, but thankfully they were pulling up to the house. It was an older style building, built up above the dunes on pillars, and Olivia Caldwell was sitting on the front porch with her oldest son, Wilder. Leonard's mother practically flew out of the car, and the two women embraced. Garrett turned in his seat, "Get the bags."

He got out of the car then too, leaving Leonard behind to get their things. Watching his stepfather laugh and joke around made him sick, so he concentrated on emptying the car. After a few minutes of pulling on suitcases Wilder came down into the driveway, holding out a hand.

"Hey man, it's been a while!" Instead of shaking his hand, Wilder pulled him into a hug. Leonard pulled back laughing. In the two years since they'd seen each other Wilder had seemingly doubled in size, going from a skinny nineteen to a burly twenty one. He grabbed up three of the bags Leonard had been struggling with, motioning toward the house with his head. "Sophie-Anne won't shut up about you getting here, she's driving me up the wall."

Leonard picked up the remaining bags, trailing him up the steps. Their parents had gone inside, chattering loudly. "How's school? I can't wait to get out of Marietta..."

Wilder smiled. "You're going to love it, babes for miles." They'd reached the foyer, and Wilder dropped a bag to point up the stairs. "You're bunking with me, up the stairs in the room across from Sophie-Anne's. I'll take these bags to your parent's room, they're on this floor around back. Come on down when you're done, we can walk down to the pier." The older boy was gone then, leaving Leonard to drag the two suitcases. When he'd gotten about halfway up he heard soft laughter, and felt himself look up to the second floor in annoyance. Someone was standing at the railing instead of helping him, and he planned on snapping at them until he got a glimpse of legs.

"They've got you doing manual labor, huh? That sucks," Sophie-Anne said with a smile, and Leonard was so distracted he almost let go of the handle. A moment later she was by his side, taking one of the heavy cases.

"Sophie-Anne?" He had to ask. The change was almost too much to be believed. The girl in his memories wore her long hair in pigtails, and was usually dressed in one of her father's over sized Kennesaw State tee shirts. The girl by his side wore her hair long and wavy, brown color lightening to almost blonde at the tips, and she'd traded the baggy tee shirts for a soft white sundress that hugged her body in all the right places.

The way she smiled at him then, it was like she knew something he hadn't quite figured out yet. "Don't tell me you've forgotten me..."

One thing was certain... Sophie-Anne Caldwell had grown up.

XXXX

_A/N: mmmmmmmkay. so i know that all the materials say he didn't marry jocelyn in nero's universe, but i'm holding some things over and i've got this whole... thang going. all will be revealed through flashbacks i hope won't be too painfully long._


	3. Chapter 3

"He beat it."

Sophie-Anne nearly missed a step, which would have been painful considering how fast the treadmill was going. She slapped a hand down on the emergency stop, and the machine ground to a halt. "What did you say?"

"Kirk. He beat the Kobayashi Maru." Kellis Bolduc explained, chuckling at her shocked expression. Bolduc worked out at training center often, and knew from their years of sparring and running contests that Sophie-Anne was close to Jim Kirk. Now he seemed to enjoy breaking the news, a broad smile spreading across his tan face. "You seem surprised."

"Well, he said he was going to do it, but you know how he is. I don't think failure ever crosses his mind." She grabbed a towel and tossed it around her neck, abandoning the workout she'd just started.

Bolduc punched a few buttons, programming his own run. "I guess some of the higher ups are pretty pissed," he said casually, starting into a light jog. The sound of his sneakers on the belt pulled Sophie-Anne from her mental wanderings.

"Wait, why? He beat it, didn't he?"

"Dunno." Bolduc shrugged, speeding up and turning his attention to the workout. "But knowing Kirk, I'd say his methods were probably pretty unorthodox."

Sophie-Anne was already halfway to the changing room, speeding through a shower and throwing on her street clothes. _He must have cheated, there's no other explanation. Dammit, JT. _She was was halfway across the quad before her bag began to beep. It took a few minutes of digging to find the PADD buried under a pile of odds and ends, only able to find the device after the call had ended. A message flashed on the screen: I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THE COMMUNICATIONS LAB.

"Great," she muttered, changing course and entering the enormous stone building a half block down the road. All the other buildings were new, but the Communications Building was a holdover from when the campus had been a university. Spock would be on the top floor, she was sure of it, and sprinted up all four flights instead of waiting for the lift. When she reached the lab it was blissfully deserted, just Spock's dark head bent over a computer display.

He barely looked up when she entered, attention focused squarely on the task at hand.

"You're upset he beat your test," Sophie-Anne said, slipping into the chair to his right. Spock finally stopped tapping on the screen, turning to face her with a single eyebrow raised.

"You indicate that my personal identity is tied to the exam. I assure you this is not the case. It is simply in the interest of academic integrity that I must ascertain Cadet Kirk's method of success. As you well know, the test was designed without a solution..."

Sophie-Anne rolled her chair up to a free console, logging on to the system and pulling surveillance footage from the test to the front of the window. Kirk lounged in the Captain's chair, casually chewing on an apple, and she felt the strong urge to slap him upside the head. Over to one side was Uhura, but in the seat just before Kirk was Leonard McCoy. She felt her heart do an unwelcome flop in her chest, and quickly refocused the screen to exclude him. How had she gone all these years without realizing that her ex boyfriend was rooming with one of her best friends?

"I know how proud you are of that test, even if you refuse to admit it. It's okay to be mad, it's obvious he cheated," she said, not wanting to get into another discussion of human and Vulcan emotions. Truthfully she thought it was a little silly for him to deny his human half, just as it would be to deny he was Vulcan.

Spock turned to her, head tilted just slightly in a way that she knew meant he was irritated. "Perhaps you are allowing your friendship with Cadet Kirk to cloud your judgement."

She couldn't help but laugh, Spock had never approved of what he called Kirk's "Negative Influence", even if he'd only mentioned it once. "JT's not as bad as you think. He's made the best of a bad situation, and he's very smart. Cocky, but smart. Give me your keypad," she demanded, swiping a few commands onto the screen. Sophie-Anne had always been good with computers, it was one of the only things she picked up on easily. Reading was a challenge, it took a lot of the concentration and patience she didn't always have, but computers and mechanics came as naturally as breathing. It only took a few seconds of searching to come up with a solution, written plainly in the interface. "There's your problem, he installed a sub-routine somehow, to alter the conditions. Very tricky."

"To what are you referring?"

"It's right there in the code..."

"No. You indicated that Cadet Kirk, as you put it, _made the best of a bad situation_. To which situation were you referring?"

"Oh." Sophie-Anne swallowed hard, knowing that if she didn't tell him he'd go out of his way to find out. For someone so in control of his emotions, Spock had a hard time controlling his curiosity. "Well, JT's dad was George Kirk, he was the Captain of the USS Kelvin when it exploded."

Spock was already pulling up the information, "The USS Kelvin was attacked at the edge of Klingon space..."

"What are you going to do? You're going to demand a tribunal, aren't you?" Sophie-Anne asked, and if he heard her he made no move to show he was listening. Finally she grabbed his arm, which made him flinch for some reason. "Just leave his family out of it, okay? He pretends to be all tough, but he's kind of sensitive about the whole thing."

"I only wish to gain more information about the Cadet's background," Spock said, seeming almost offended. She shrugged, gathering up her bag and squeezing his shoulder.

"I hope you realize I abandoned a workout for you. You owe me takeout." It was only a white lie, and it almost made him smile. She turned to leave, but stopped, the surveillance footage catching her eye again. "Hey, do you know Leonard McCoy?"

He thought a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I believe I have heard of him. From what I understand he is a rather competent doctor. Why do you ask?"

Sophie-Anne fought off a blush that threatened to creep into her cheeks. "No reason. I'll expect my takeout within the next week," she said, and vanished out into the hall.

XXX

"So how long are we going to pretend we don't know each other?" McCoy asked. He'd spotted Sophie-Anne at Kirk's hearing, sitting over with the mysterious Vulcan, but it wasn't until the meeting was interrupted and the cadets had begun reporting for assignments that he'd been able to catch up with her. She'd been standing off to the side with Uhura, chatting quietly, and from the look on her face she wasn't happy to see him.

"I'm going to find Gaila. I'll talk to you later, Soph," Uhura said, eyes wide as she slid out of the way. _Talk later_, she mouthed as she disappeared into the crowd, and Sophie-Anne nodded. Once she was gone they were silent again, and Sophie-Anne shrugged.

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"You can start by explaining why you're acting like you don't know who I am. _Sophie-Anne_," he said her name a little more forcefully than he needed to, and she finally met his eyes.

"Of course I know who you are," she snapped, arms crossing defensively. "I was just, surprised, I guess. I didn't realize you were here, the last I heard you had just broken up with Jocelyn and were going to school in Mississippi. I'm sorry, by the way."

At first McCoy didn't know what she meant, truthfully he hadn't really been paying much attention. It was distracting, being so close to her after not seeing her, and he was busy cataloging the changes. She was taller, just a few inches, but any baby fat she'd had in her face had disappeared. Besides that, she looked strong, but considering how often she and Jim worked out it wasn't all that surprising. But worst of all was the way her whole expression was closed off, eyes refusing to spring open for him like they used to. He could feel his face break into a scowl. _Is she actually saying she's sorry about my divorce?_

"What the hell for? You hate Joss."

Sophie-Anne's eyebrows shot up, clearly confused. "About... the baby, Len," she said, so softly he had to lean in to hear her. _Baby? _McCoy thought, a sick feeling overtaking his stomach. _She doesn't know. _When he didn't say anything she sighed. "And you're right, I will admit that when my mother told me you two broke up I might have done a little dance. You deserve so much better than her."

McCoy had to shake his head to be sure he'd heard her say it, and could feel himself inching dangerously close to saying something stupid, so he quickly changed the subject. "Any idea what ship you'll be on?" he asked, knowing he was already failing miserably at the small talk portion of the conversation. Maybe she'd be on a different ship, and they could go back to avoiding each other...

"The Enterprise, I'd imagine."

Or not. "What makes you think that?"

Her lips twisted in a funny smile he didn't quite understand. "Just a hunch. I take it you are too?" she asked, and he nodded. "Well, I'm willing to be civil if you are. There's no reason we can't be professional."

_Except that I want to pull you behind that bulkhead and kiss you senseless right now_, McCoy thought, covering the desire by rolling his eyes. "Professional, huh? Well, there's a first time for everything." He held out his hand for her to shake, and she stared at it for a moment before taking it in her own. Her skin was strangely cool, or maybe it was just nerves making his palms feel hot and clammy. Either way he shook hands hastily, pushing past her before she could notice how flustered he was. He was a doctor, damn it, not a silly teenager. When he found Kirk standing in line he tried to ignore the smug expression his friend wore.

"You lovebirds working out your differences?" Kirk asked with a smirk, despite the fact that he'd nearly been thrown out of Starfleet fifteen minutes prior.

"Shut up," McCoy replied, wondering how he was going to make it through the next few hours without punching someone.

XXX

Uhura was talking. Chasing him around the hanger, actually, demanding to know why he'd assigned her to the Farragut. Spock was trying to listen to her complaints, knowing they were valid, but had trouble getting the scene he'd just witnessed out of his head. As soon as he'd seen Leonard McCoy shaking Sophie-Anne's hand it had all come back to him at once, the memories and an understanding of just how close the two had been.

"It was an attempt to... avoid the appearance of favoritism," he finally managed, mind still elsewhere. It was the truth, he had been attempting to avoid it, but not for the reasons Uhura was about to read into. For a moment he considered correcting her, but mentally he was somewhere else, tripping through the jungle of a Class-M planet with new Cadet Sophie-Anne Caldwell.

XXX

a/n: so, i'm really trying not to rehash scenes we've seen in the movie because, well, we've probably all seen it or we wouldn't be here. my goal is for this story to fit with the established scenes of the movie itself wherever possible, with a few minor modifications (you'll see what i mean coming up). we're about to enter flashback mode again, this time exploring how spock and sophie-anne first met...


	4. Chapter 4

Illyria-4, 2254

"I can't believe I got stuck with you two," Commander Jennison grumbled, hacking away at an overgrown bit of jungle to create a path. A bulky man, he had sweat all the way through his uniform, complaining about the heat from the moment they'd touched down. "Let's just find the Vulcan landing party and get out of here."

"I am not sure I understand your frustration, Commander. As one of the top Cadets at the Academy, I am more than capable of assisting you in your mission today," Spock said, following behind closely. For him the planet seemed almost cool, certainly nothing to compare to the scorching heat of Vulcan. From behind he heard a grunt of indignant laughter, and he turned to face the girl trailing behind them. In truth he'd almost forgotten about her, she was strangely quiet for a human female.

"I'm not exactly the bottom of the barrel myself, you know," she told them, Southern accent strengthening with her frustration. She seemed to be handling the heat fairly well, just a few beads of sweat gathering across the bridge of her nose. Spock had first laid eyes on Cadet Sophie-Anne Caldwell when they boarded the shuttle down to the planet, having been thrown together for a hands-on training mission. They, along with Commander Jennison, were tasked with locating a missing crew of Vulcans that had arrived on the planet a few weeks earlier. After the first day communications had ceased, and now they were there to offer assistance.

There was nothing particularly special about the girl, from what Spock could see. She was of medium height and build, with light brown hair which she kept pinned back neatly. Her only outstanding feature seemed to be her eyes, which were a shade of dark green he'd never seen before. At least she hadn't slowed their progress.

"You might be a big shot in the classroom, but here in the real world you're both just newbies. Try and keep up, I'm not going to wait around for you," Jennison grumbled, causing Sophie-Anne to chuckle.

"He's a real charmer, isn't he?" she asked, only earning a single lifted eyebrow from Spock.

"I am unsure as to the relevance of your comment. I hardly see what Commander Jennison's personality has to do with his ability to lead an expedition..."

"It was a joke," she interrupted, waiting a beat to see if he'd laugh. When there was no response she sighed. "Never mind."

"I apologize. Human jokes generally escape me," he explained shortly, though he couldn't quite keep the sharpness from his tone. If it wasn't Vulcans saying he was too human, it was humans complaining he was too Vulcan. There really was no pleasing anyone.

Commander Jennison held up a hand and motioned for them to wait, which they did while he disappeared into a dense thicket of trees. Sophie-Anne dropped a hand to her hip and stared at Spock in a way that unnerved him. "Doesn't it get exhausting, controlling your emotions all the time? I would go crazy."

The question hit a little too close to one Spock had asked his father many years ago, and it took a moment longer than usual to contain the feeling it gave him. "On the contrary, I would think it would be exhausting to be at the mercy of one's emotions. By not controlling them, you allow your emotions to control you."

"You didn't really answer my question. It's not about what's worse, I'm just wondering..."

"Hey," Commander Jennison barked, stomping loudly through the underbrush. "If you ladies are done having social hour, I'd like to continue."

With that he stormed off, leaving Spock and Sophie-Anne to trail behind. Spock could feel a spark of annoyance fighting for dominance. _Why must she ask so many questions?_

"I've just never met a Vulcan before, I guess I don't really understand you," she continued, and finally Spock had to stop and turn to face her.

"Cadet Caldwell, we are currently partaking in a live mission, perhaps your inquiries are best saved for a later time?" he asked, causing her to scowl. It wasn't at all a fearsome expression, when she frowned she looked a little like a mad kitten.

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but Commander Jennison isn't exactly interested in our input. I bet we could disappear and he wouldn't even notice."

"Now we're talkin'!" Commander Jennison's voice cut through the leaves, sending both Spock and Sophie-Anne into a short sprint to catch up. When they crested the hill they found him, a dopey smile plastered on his face. In the river below were a half dozen of the planet's indigenous women, Teldosians, bathing naked in the water. Sophie-Anne's mouth fell open as she covered her eyes, while Spock's gaze seemed to come unfocused as he turned his head slightly to the side. The Commander, however, was spellbound.

"Commander, the Teldosians have proved on numerous occasions to be hostile to outsiders. Perhaps it would be best if we could avoid contact..." Spock said, and Sophie-Anne nodded in agreement.

"If they've captured the Vulcan scouting party, we need to call in back up," she said, only to be waved off by Jennison.

"These are just a few ladies, certainly not anything to concern yourselves with. I'll go down and ask if they've seen anything, you two wait here," the Commander ordered, and Sophie-Anne shot Spock a pleading look.

"Commander, please. Contact with these women is unwise..." Spock tried, but Jennison had already plunged down the hill, his arms held up in a peaceful gesture. Sophie-Anne sighed.

"You know he has the communicator, right?" she asked. Spock simply nodded, watching as the Commander inched closer to the women. They'd already gathered together in alarm, and Spock touched a hand to his phaser. Before there was even a moment to react two male Teldosians erupted from the trees, using pairs of long sharp knives to sever Commander Jennison's head from his body. It landed with a thud on the ground and rolled away, and Sophie-Anne couldn't control her scream. Spock tried to clamp a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The men down below looked up, spotting them through the trees. Without waiting to see what would happen, Spock and Sophie-Anne began to run.

XXX

Earth, 2258

"Move over," Sophie-Anne commanded, barely allowing Spock enough time to switch his seat. When he gave her a curious look she shrugged, tugging down the hem of her red skirt. "I like the window, and I know you don't care."

"How was your encounter with Doctor McCoy?" he asked, and her eyes widened. Of course he'd seen that, those Vulcan eyes never missed anything.

"Awkward. Apparently he's assigned the Enterprise as well, talk about bad luck," she grumbled, pretending to be busy on her PADD. Honestly she wanted to forget that she'd bumped into Leonard McCoy at all, especially since she was just starting to find her place in Starfleet.

"I had forgotten about your involvement with him."

Sophie-Anne laughed, pulling her hair down and beginning to braid it to one side of her head. "I wish I could forget it," she said.

He seemed to be reaching for a thought, and after a moment he caught her eye. "Would you like to... discuss it?"

The words sounded so funny she had to fight not to laugh again. She knew the last thing he wanted to do was talk about her feelings, but the fact that he would offer was pretty sweet.

"Not really, but thank you." An uncomfortable silence descended, and she was glad to spot a dark ponytail swaying through the aisle. "Oh look, there's Uhura. I'm going to go sit with her, you can have your window back!" She hopped up with a bright smile, climbing over him and into the aisle. He didn't bother switching back to the window, just waited until he felt her hair brushing his cheek as she leaned over the back of his seat and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sure everything is fine on Vulcan. Don't worry, okay?"

And with that, they were bound for the Enterprise.

XXX

_A/N: sorry for the small delay! whenever i get in spock's head space everything just feels harder to write... plus my 2009 dvd has gone missing since i moved, very annoyed! i'll try to be better about updating :)_


	5. Chapter 5

McCoy had just watch Kirk pass out on the bed when he heard someone gasp.

"What the hell did you do?" Sophie-Anne hissed, motioning to the sleeping James Kirk. She'd appeared out of nowhere, carrying some sort of sensor from Engineering, and McCoy couldn't stop himself from swearing.

"Oh, c'mon. You know if I didn't help him he would just have found some more dangerous way to get on this ship," McCoy answered, a little more defensive than he realized. He'd done the right thing getting Kirk onto the shuttle... right?

The look Sophie-Anne gave him was half amusement and half horror. The medical bay continued to buzz around them, but she grabbed his arm and dragged him to a nearby alcove. "I'm not talking about getting him on the ship, I've seen his sad-ass puppy dog faces. I mean, why is he passed out? He looks like hell."

Pulling his arm back out of her grip they both fell back a little, and he pulled together what he hoped was an indignant expression. "It's just a harmless vaccine, he'll be fine..."

Sophie-Anne's lips pressed together. "You do know he's allergic to pretty much everything, right? Including, I'm sure, whatever creepy crawly vaccination you gave him..."

Of course the kid had never mentioned that, he always seemed hell bent on appearing invincible, but McCoy covered with a smile. "Of course I know that, I am a doctor." He tried to take a quick peek at his PADD, which only resulted in Sophie-Anne breaking out in an infuriating smile. Sure enough, when he pulled up Kirk's medical records the list of allergies ran off the page. McCoy sighed. "Damn it..."

"Just try not to kill him, okay?" Sophie-Anne requested, and as she turned to leave McCoy stopped her.

"You're not going to run off and tell ear boy about this, are you?" He wasn't sure why he disliked the Vulcan so much. He'd made a point to tell Kirk he liked him, only because he knew how much it would piss him off, but when it came down to it he just didn't care for the guy. As far as he was concerned logic was good, but you couldn't ignore the other factors in life. Factors like the pretty girl in front of him, whose mouth had pulled into a frown.

"Ear boy?"

McCoy shrugged. "Your Vulcan friend with the Kirk sized chip on his shoulder."

"Spock's got better things to do than worry about one cadet who wasn't cleared for duty. And so have I, they sent me up here to check out some temperature anomalies in the power grid," she said, brushing past him and walking toward a console. Once she'd plugged in her sensor and typed in a few commands McCoy came up behind her. He had better things to do, too, but a question was wiggling around in his brain and refused to go away.

"You and Jim are awfully close for workout buddies," he commented, earning a snort of laughter from Sophie-Anne.

"Yeah well, you learn a lot about someone when you spend every day beating the crap out of them."

"So that's it? You guys just... spar?" McCoy tested the word, but it sounded strange in his mouth. "Did you ever tell him about us?"

Finally Sophie-Anne stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. She had a kind of funny, far off expression on her face, and it almost looked like she might kiss him. Instead she sighed, finishing her work with a few swipes of the keyboard. "I told him everything."

XXX

Starfleet, 2255

When his adviser had first suggested he spend a little time in the exercise center, James Kirk had been kind of offended. Popular opinion was that he had abs to die for, not to mention a winning smile, but he quickly realized the hand to hand training might give him an outlet for some of his more aggressive tendencies. After all, it was hard not to feel angry when you'd grown up like he did, mother always off planet and asshole stepfather monitoring his every move. That was why he was there that Saturday morning, watching a cute girl beating the hell out of a guy twice her size.

"Damn..." he whistled, coming up behind the crowd that had gathered. A cadet he remembered was named Olson nodded, motioning towards the fight.

"She's undefeated. Even some of the meatheads from Security couldn't take her, though most of the bigger guys were too chicken to try, spouting some nonsense about not wanting to hit a girl," Olson explained, showing Kirk a fairly nasty bruise on his torso. "She doesn't hit much, but when she does, you'll feel it."

The girl was putting on a pretty good show, long braid whipping as she landed a kick on the back of the guy she was fighting. He shot forward onto his stomach with a thud, and when he didn't get up the unofficial referee declared the fight over. "Any one else want to take a shot a Cadet Caldwell?" Most of the other cadets stepped back, more than one making a rude remark about "taking a shot" at her in the bedroom, and finally Kirk could feel himself pushing to the front of the group. He did love a challenge.

"I'll take a turn," he said, shrugging off his coat and stepping into the ring. Someone in the back made a mooing noise, no doubt taking a crack at his reputation as a _farm boy _(they never even owned a farm), but the girl simply smiled and held out her hand.

"I'm Sophie-Anne Caldwell," she said, big green eyes boring into his.

"Kirk. Jim Kirk," he replied, taking her hand and flipping her over onto her back. It was a dirty trick, but it did start the room howling. She was only down for a moment, springing back onto her feet, and the smile she gave him proved there were no hard feelings.

"I think I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass," she told him, and promptly punched him in the nose. Oh, he liked this girl already...

XXX

She'd completely wrecked him the first day. It was impressive, but probably just dumb luck. To prove himself right he challenged her the next day, where he was beaten so soundly he was sore in places he didn't know existed. Not one to be defeated, the challenges continued for weeks, and each time he came a little closer to beating her... until one day she seemed distracted and he hit her harder than he intended, splitting her lip open. They stopped the match, and when she didn't return right away he went searching for her.

"I'd say we should continue, but when I really do beat you I don't want it to be because you're distracted by all the blood," he said, taking a seat on the bench by her side. She was still holding a towel to her face, but she managed a small smile.

"You know what I like about you, JT? You don't hold back. You don't cut me any slack just because I'm a girl, and I appreciate that," she said. Kirk ran a hand over his hair, feeling strangely embarrassed.

"I'll definitely never beat you if I hold back. How did you get to be so damn good, anyway?" he asked, handing her a fresh towel.

"Just lots of practice, I guess," she said, trying to downplay it.

Kirk wasn't having any of it, shaking his head. "Fi, some days my bruises have bruises. You must be practicing all the time, why?"

She seemed to think for a long time, giving him a searching look before sighing. "When I was a teenager I went through a bad breakup. There was a guy, and I thought... well, I thought he really loved me, but he cheated on me and got this girl pregnant. I went away to school after that, and in my desperate desire to forget about him I started going on these blind dates. One of those guys was older, a real creep, and when I refused to go on a second date he started just... showing up places. He was at every party, even though he didn't go to my school, and was waiting for me after every class. I went back to my dorm room one night and he had broken in. He was just sitting there, completely butt-ass naked, and I thought, _this guy is going to chop me up into little pieces_. The next day I went down to the local gym and signed up for every martial arts class they offered. I refuse to let some creepy guy make me feel unsafe, so I've been practicing like crazy ever since."

Kirk frowned, he was never big on the idea of harassment. He liked to think of his own attention to the female gender as sort of cheeky and endearing, but he'd definitely heard stories of girls being stalked by freaks. "This creepy guy, what happened to him?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. I left school to join Starfleet, made sure no one at school really knew where I'd went. I guess I figured if I was going to be safe from him anywhere, there wasn't any place better than deep space."

"Well, he's an idiot."

"Yeah, that was kind of the point of the story," Sophie-Anne agreed with a smile, but Kirk shook his head.

"No, I mean the guy that cheated on you. What a fool," Kirk said, standing up and wandering off to lift some weights. Sophie-Anne watched him go with a thoughtful expression. Yes, Leonard McCoy certainly was a fool.

XXX

_A/N: So, as far as flashbacks go, you'll eventually get the whole picture on each of these back stories (Spock, Kirk, and McCoy), but not all at once. I think (THINK being the operative word) that I've got a pretty good plan for this thing. Anyway, onward and upward! :)_


	6. Chapter 6

Enterprise, 2258

"What do you _mean _you wanted to kiss him?" Uhura whispered, trying to look especially busy as one of the higher ups walked by. Sophie-Anne had found her almost immediately after they'd left for Vulcan, and was now pretending to fix a heat sensor down by Uhura's feet so the two could talk.

Sophie-Anne groaned, hiding her face. "It's hormones, Ny. It's got to be."

"Yeah." Uhura's eyes glazed over for a moment. "Hormones can be a bitch. But after everything he put you through, I just don't understand. What about that girl he got pregnant, what was her name?"

"Jocelyn."

"Right, Jocelyn. So just because they got divorced, that doesn't change the fact that he cheated on you. And his child? She's got to be at least twelve, and he left her behind? What kind of guy does that?" Uhura asked, typing furiously. She usually found she was strangely protective of Sophie-Anne, one of the first friends she'd made at the Academy. The girl could certainly take care of herself physically, but emotionally... well, Uhura sometimes thought Sophie-Anne was a little _too _soft-hearted for her own good.

Sophie-Anne's eyebrows knit together. "No, she didn't end up having the baby. Miscarriage," she explained, voice wavering a little, and Uhura tried to smile.

"Okay, then I guess he doesn't lose any points there. But he still cheated on you."

Sophie-Anne threw down her wrench and sighed, falling down to sit on the ground, no longer interested in looking busy. "He really was a spectacular kind of asshole. I never even saw it coming."

XXX

Georgia, 2245

It wasn't long into that last summer on Tybee Island that Leonard and Sophie-Anne began to date. At first they tried to downplay it, appearing in the same places by sheer coincidence and then spending the whole day together. Once Wilder caught wind of it though, everything was out in the open, and after Mr. Caldwell laid down a laundry list of ground rules the two began to date in earnest.

What followed was a year of phone calls, video chats, and weekend visits. Leonard had been allowed to spend Christmas with the Caldwells, and Sophie-Anne had similarly spent her spring break rooming with his younger sister Beatrice at the McCoy house. When graduation time rolled around everyone agreed Sophie-Anne could stay with the McCoys again, to watch Leonard walk the stage and be there for his party.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Leonard asked, more than a little pleading in his voice. His best friend Chauncey was already out in the car, unable to wait to get the night started. The graduation party wasn't until Sunday, but the graduates were all meeting up at the local dive bar for a night of drinking. Sophie-Anne laughed, pointing to her face.

"They'll never let me in that bar, Len. I look twelve," she exaggerated. It was true she didn't look twelve, but she definitely didn't look much older than sixteen, and knew that getting kicked out of the bar would put a serious damper on Leonard's night. He frowned, pulling her over toward the stairs and trapping her against the railing.

"Maybe I should stay, then. Chauncey will be fine without me..." He lowered his lips to her neck, planting a soft kiss there, and she couldn't keep herself from shivering. Part of him was worried, she knew, to leave her alone in the house. His stepfather had a notoriously short fuse, and more than once she'd been tempted to interject during some of the more abusive diatribes. But this was his night, and she wasn't going to let his jerk of a stepfather take something else away from him.

"You're going, and you're going to have fun. Besides, Bea and I already have a girls night planned, and sorry, you're missing the required equipment," she told him, motioning toward the couch where his sister Beatrice was waiting.

"Yeah, get lost. We're going to watch that movie you hate, the one where everyone's always breaking into song..." Bea added, already stuffing her face with popcorn. Bea was fourteen, with a slim, muscular figure from spending every summer at gymnastics camp, and she was Garrett's favorite. If Sophie-Anne was going to be safe from his stepfather's rage with anyone, it would definitely be with Bea. Finally Leonard sighed, lips twisting into a small smile.

"Fine, but I'm going to wake you up when I get back," he warned, allowing her to pull his face down and kiss him. Her lips lingered a little longer than she intended, and Bea was gagging on the cough.

"Gross, get a room!" she said, heaving a pillow at them, and they both laughed.

"Seriously, have fun. I'll see you when you get back," Sophie-Anne said, pushing Leonard toward the door and joining Bea on the couch. A few seconds later he was in the front yard, tapping on the glass. He blew against it, then carved out a heart in the condensation with his finger and winked at Sophie-Anne before disappearing into the darkness. Bea rolled her eyes, but she was smiling just the same.

"You two are disgusting," Bea said, starting the movie. As the film began to play Sophie-Anne clutched a pillow to her chest, giving Bea a sideways smirk.

"Just you wait, little bee. Someday you're going to meet someone who sweeps you off your feet. You won't think it's so disgusting then," she told the younger girl, who simply shrugged and handed her the popcorn.

"You're lucky, though."

"Lucky?"

"Len really loves you, you know? I hope whoever it is loves me that much." Bea was already humming along with the first song, but Sophie-Anne couldn't keep the stupid smile off her face.

XXX

It was late when Sophie-Anne awoke. She and Bea had watched the first movie, then spent a few hours laughing like idiots at old cartoons before dozing off. Bea was still slumped over the end of the couch, so Sophie-Anne grabbed a blanket and covered her, then carefully got to her feet. There was a thumping overhead from Leonard's room, and she had to smile. He must have gotten home drunk, and was stumbling around trying to find her.

Careful not to wake anyone else up she tiptoed up the stairs, past the room she was sharing with Bea to Leonard's door. One of the ground rules her father had been adamant about was no after hours bedroom visits, but she was only going to say goodnight...

When she pushed the door open it creaked, echoing loudly into the still night and she cursed under her breath. She was sure the noise would wake someone, and nerves were getting the best of her until her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she nearly threw up. Stumbling backwards into the hall, her hand flew to her mouth and she had to fight not to start sobbing. The scene in the bedroom had been all too clear: Leonard on the bed, being straddled by a redhead Sophie-Anne recognized from the graduation. Naked. She didn't wait for them to notice her, just ran to Bea's room and slammed the door as her heart snapped neatly in two pieces.

XXX

_A/N: So, I've decided that in 2245 the drinking age is 18, for no other reason than why the heck not. This is more of a... chap-let, than anything, which is why I'm posting it alongside the next, longer, more current chapter. For those of you looking for more Spock/Sophie-Anne action (let's face it, I'm a member of that club), the next one is for you..._


	7. Chapter 7

Enterprise, 2258

It wasn't ten minutes later that Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and Sophie-Anne had come racing onto the bridge. Spock watched them appear, wondering at how they all came to be running around the ship together, especially when Kirk was still on academic probation. He knew Sophie-Anne and Uhura were close, so they'd probably been together when the other two appeared.

When Kirk had started to spout nonsense about Romulans he'd tried to interject, but once the logic had been proved sound he agreed that they were probably flying into a trap. As the Captain ordered shields up he waited with the others to see what would happen, and when he turned his head he found Sophie-Anne standing against a nearby railing.

Her hair had come loose from it's braid, just as it always did, and her eyes burned with equal parts fear and excitement. He'd seen that look on her face before, fierce and determined, and for a single split second he allowed himself to remember their time in the jungle.

XXX

Illyria-4, 2254

They'd run for what felt like forever. The Teldosians were excellent trackers, and this was their home territory, but thankfully both Spock and Sophie-Anne were in excellent shape and finally outpaced their opponents. Once it was clear they had lost them Sophie-Anne slumped to the ground, leaning against a a large rock to catch her breath. Spock paced the area, looking down the hill and taking stock of their surroundings.

"Commander Jennison is dead," Sophie-Anne said, barely able to keep herself from bursting into tears. She wasn't fond of the man, if anything he seemed like kind of a jerk, but she'd never seen anyone _die _before. And certainly not in such a horrible, grisly way.

Spock nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

"He had the communicator. There's no way for us to contact Starfleet and let them know where we are. How are they going to find us? What if the Teldosians find us first?" Her voice was bordering on hysterical, and Spock had to come back around to kneel in front of her.

"Cadet Caldwell, it is essential that you remain calm. We have managed to escape the combatants, and I have made note of our location relative to their settlement. A team will be sent to retrieve us, and so we must find a suitable place to conceal ourselves until that time," he explained, moving back so she could stand.

"Settlement? You mean then have a town near here?"

He motioned down. "At the base of this hill. We are concealed by the brush at the moment, but it would be wise for us to move further away to make camp."

Sophie-Anne scanned the horizon, squinting against the orange sun. The town was made up of a few circles of huts, surrounded by a row of lumpy spikes to make a fence. A fire burned at the center, and children scampered between the huts. There was something about those spikes, though, something she couldn't quite see that made her think they were sinister. It wasn't until the sun disappeared behind a cloud that she could make them out clearly, and the strangled gasp from her usually stoic companion made it clear Spock had figured it out too. They weren't spikes for fences, they were skewers, and each on contained the body of one of the missing Vulcan crew. There were 10 in all, each speared through in a gruesome display, and without thinking Spock was pushing through the brush. Sophie-Anne was barely able to hold him back.

"Where are you going? You can't go down there!"

If he had wanted to he could have easily thrown her off, but he hesitated, struggling to calm the torrent of emotions threatening to escape. "I must retrieve the bodies," he said, voice dry and clipped. Sophie-Anne squeezed in front of him, using all her weight to push him back out of sight.

"You're going to become one of those bodies if you go down there. Please, once help comes we'll get them, I promise, but until then we have to stay alive. I need you to help me stay alive," she pleaded, appealing to his sense of duty. Finally he shuddered, emotionless mask coming back down over his features.

"Let us find shelter," he said, storming back through the other side of the treeline. Grateful, Sophie-Anne followed.

XXX

The first night they'd found a small cave, big enough for the two of them to lay down, and Sophie-Anne had managed to scrounge together some edible berries. Spock barely ate and almost never spoke, leaving in the morning to scout for help and returning at night to sleep. It was during that sleep a few nights later that Sophie-Anne awoke to the sound of a soft moan, which transformed into a sharp cry. Spock was dreaming. Sophie-Anne wasn't sure at first if she should wake him, thinking maybe he'd stop and fall back into a peaceful sleep. But when his cries started to get louder, she worried someone might be drawn to the noise and crawled over to where he lay.

"Hey, wake up," she whispered, placing a hand on his arm. An instant later he was shooting up, roughly gripping her shoulders so hard she was sure it would bruise. She'd never seen him so vulnerable. For a half second before he really woke up it was like looking at a different person, someone wild and afraid, but he quickly replaced the look with one of mild interest. He released her shoulders, muttering apologies. "You were dreaming."

"Yes, I believe I was," he admitted, not moving away from her like he normally would.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't. It was about the bodies, she'd decided after the first few nights, he sometimes went back to the ridge to make sure they were still there. She could tell it had shaken him more than he wanted to admit. He shook his head, laying back down carefully.

"Perhaps you could tell me about your home," he said, after a very long pause, and Sophie-Anne nearly asked if he was serious. He'd never asked about her past or her home, but after seeing that vulnerable look on his face she couldn't bring herself to question it. She lay down by his side, shoulder to shoulder, and stared hard at the dark rock above them.

"In the summertime in Georgia, everything just moves slower," she started, nearly stopping when she felt his hand brush hers. It was an almost accidental motion, just the backs of their hands making contact, but neither of them pulled away and she continued. "It's nice, in a way. The days are so much longer, so warm..."

XXX

Enterprise, 2258

McCoy helped Sophie-Anne to her feet, holding on to her arm as she stumbled. The Captain continued to talk to the madman Nero, and when they were finished he stood. "I need officers trained in advanced hand to hand combat," Pike ordered, and after Sulu volunteered and Pike had started toward the shuttle with Kirk, Sophie-Anne stepped forward.

"I'm trained, sir, and want to help," she offered, trying to ignore the pit of fear that was rapidly expanding in her stomach. Kirk frowned, but nodded just the same.

"It's true, I've seen her in action," he attested, and Captain Pike was nodding when McCoy stepped forward. There was a trickle of blood running down the side of her face, dripping from where she'd bashed her head against the railing during evasive maneuvers.

"Captain, Cadet Caldwell is unfit for duty. She injured herself during the fight, and needs to be taken to medical for examination," McCoy said, and pulled a piece of gauze from his bag, pressing it to her head. Sophie-Anne swatted him away, annoyed.

"It's just a little cut, I'm fine. Sir, I promise you..."

"As a senior medical officer I can't allow you to endanger yourself and others..." McCoy interrupted, and everyone on the bridge stopped to watch the two argue it out. Finally Pike huffed, throwing up his hands.

"I don't have time for this. Caldwell, I'm sorry, but if he won't clear you for duty I can't take you. Go get checked out. Kirk, Sulu, come with me," he ordered, disappearing into the lift. McCoy refused to meet her eyes, motioning toward medical.

Sophie-Anne glared at him for a moment before turning on her heel. "You suck," she called over her shoulder, where he was trying to keep up with her furious pace.

McCoy rolled his eyes. "Why, because I won't let you kill yourself? Do you know what they're going to do? Jim and the others are going to _space jump_ onto a tiny platform and fight _Romulans_. Do you even understand that?"

They'd reached the airlock to deck six, and she spun back, allowing him to crash into her. "You don't get to decide what's best for me. You don't even know me anymore, okay?"

The words stung, even though he knew they were true. McCoy was grasping for a comeback as he pushed past her and pounded in his code into the keypad. The airlock refused to open. _What's wrong with this damn thing now?_ He slapped a hand against the console, furious at the machinery and the girl standing behind him with her arms crossed. A pair of nurses passed through, then, carrying an unconscious man, and McCoy motioned toward the door. "Why won't this open?"

The nurses shared a look, and the taller of the two grimaced. "Deck six is gone, along with everyone on it. We've moved all remaining personnel to deck four."

McCoy felt all the air leave his body, so his next question came out a little strangled. "Doctor Puri?"

"Dead, sir," the other nurse informed him, before the two took off with their patient. McCoy and Sophie-Anne stood in silence for a moment, and when he finally dared to look at her again she had tears in her eyes.

"You were there, on Deck Six. You and JT, the both of you. If you hadn't snuck him on board, if he hadn't had that allergic reaction..." She was spiraling out of control with what-ifs, and without even thinking about it he reached out a hand and pulled her against his chest. Her arms came up around him, and she hugged him tightly.

"If it weren't for Jim we'd all be dead, Soph," he said, realizing once the words had left his mouth it that it wasn't a very soothing thing to say. But holding her felt right, even after so many years and so much bullshit After a long moment she pulled back, green eyes meeting his hazel ones and holding his gaze. There was something in that expression, he was sure of it. Suddenly he was filled with the desperate urge to tell her everything, what had really happened with Jocelyn, but her communicator was beeping in alarm.

"Cadet Caldwell, report to the transporter room immediately," it squawked, and she pulled away before he could react.

"I'm glad you're not dead," she told him with a small smirk, before disappearing around the corner. _Well_, McCoy thought, a smile of his own firmly in place. _That's something, anyway._

XXX

_A/N: mmmmkay. so i know the style and characterization is a little... all over the place. usually i'm better at third person, but it's all coming out kind of omniscient, which i hate. i'll work on it, i promise!_


	8. Chapter 8

Enterprise, 2258

Sophie-Anne didn't make it to the transporter room before colliding head on with Spock in the hallway. The look on his face would have passed for normal to a casual observer, but she wasn't fooled. There was a thin layer of calm covering his panic, that she could tell was mere moments from bubbling up.

"What's the matter?" she asked, allowing him to hook his hand around her elbow and tug her away from the bridge.

"Cadet Kirk has managed to reactivate our transporter abilities," he explained, dodging two people running in the opposite direction. The ship had dissolved into controlled chaos, but Spock seemed to take no notice.

"That's good, but where are you going?"

He stopped pulling her along then, having reached the transporter room, and paused for a moment. The agitation she'd suspected lurked under the surface of his expression hit her full on when he wrapped his fingers around her bare wrist. It was a gesture he'd done a thousand times, so quick most people would miss it entirely, but in that moment their mental connection opened up and she could... _feel _him. He was frightened, for his parents and his planet, and frightened that he couldn't control the fear before it consumed him. And he was torn, though that part was hazier, and it seemed like he had something else to tell her but refused.

"I must attempt to save the elders, the planet is collapsing," he said, pulling his hand back. Nothing he'd ever done had ever felt so... intimate before, and though she wished she could control it Sophie-Anne could feel the color rising in her cheeks. Trying to play it off she offered what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

"Be careful, okay?"

He was already halfway into the room, rushing up onto the transporter pad. Kirk and Sulu were still slumped on the floor, a triumphant Chekov cheering over by the controls. Spock waved them away, kneeling down in position. "Step aside, I'm going to the surface."

"The surface of what? You're going down there? Are you nuts?!" Kirk said, allowing Sophie-Anne to slip an arm under his shoulder.

"JT, you reek," she said, giving him an appraising sniff as she helped him down the steps. He did stink, like ozone and phaser burns, and she quickly deposited him into a chair as Spock shot them a quick, final look.

"Energize," he commanded, and with the push of Chekov's button he disappeared, Kirk watched him go, turning up to face Sophie-Anne.

"He didn't really just go down there, right?" he asked, sharing a look with Sulu and Chekov. Sulu was already shrugging off his space suit, and Chekov seemed to want to avoid the conversation altogether, pressing at buttons that surely didn't need his attention. "With Pike gone, he's the Captain. He can't just take off like that!"

Sophie-Anne ignored him as well, pulling out a well concealed PADD and tracking Spock's process across the planet. It was a special feature she's been playing with, connecting directly to the ship's mainframe without special security clearance, and she hoped that Chekov wasn't paying much attention as she zoomed in on Spock's position. The Russian teen would either want to know exactly how it worked, or unintentionally rat her out. Either way there wasn't time. "They're his parents, he has to go. You understand that, I know you do," she whispered to Kirk, using her fingers to zoom in the map. "He's made it inside the Katric Ark, but the signal's breaking up really badly. I don't think there's much time..."

It seemed like only moments later that the Vulcan elders were materializing on the transporter pad, Chekov screaming and pounding frantically at the controls. Spock appeared last, his arm still outstretched toward where his mother should be standing, and Sophie-Anne had to choke back the sob of horror that threatened to escape. Even though they weren't touching, she could still feel his emotions. It was surreal, the way she _knew _that they were his, just from the feel and taste of them. It was heartbreak, so raw and wild that her knees started to give out. Kirk wrapped and arm around her waist without thinking, holding her up without comment or judgement, and they all watched as Spock left without a word to anyone.

XXX

An hour later, after getting checked out by a strangely quiet Doctor McCoy, Spock found himself sitting on the bridge. Too many thoughts swirled through his head at once, making it impossible to concentrate, and without realizing what he was doing he stood and headed for the turbolift. A moment too late he realized Uhura had followed him.

The look in her eyes, it nearly ended him. There was so much pity, concern and sorrow, that it hurt to look at her. When she reached over and stopped the lift he thought he might scream. After a moment she reached out and gently took his face in her hands. That contact, the skin to skin, it was like a full on assault. When she kissed him he could feel it all at once, emotions like the too tall ocean waves he'd seen back on Earth. She was so... sorry for him, so confused and hurt that it was impossible to tell where her sorrow ended and his own began.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, running her hands along his hair. She really was beautiful, he realized. Smart, sexy, all the thing he never realized he prized in a woman. And it was clear beyond all doubt that she cared for him, he could feel it running like a current under the surface of her pain. Loving her was the logical choice, he knew, if love were logical. Her eyes drilled into his, voice soft. "What can I do? Tell me what you need."

Maybe it was her choice of words, but in that moment the only thing that flashed in his thoughts were a pair of dark green eyes and a wispy braid. _Sophie-Anne_ his subconscious whispered, the image of her burning bright in his mind. When he didn't say anything Uhura frowned, mistaking his inattention for sorrow. Before he could stop himself he reached out, starting the turbo going again.

"I need for everyone to continue performing admirably," he said finally, unable to come up with anything better to say. She nodded, ever understanding, which only increased his guilt. When he was clear of the lift he stopped at a nearby console.

WHERE ARE YOU? he typed out.

A few moments later he received his response. DECK FOUR OBSERVATION.

He quickly walked down the hall, punching his code into the door and walking through onto the observation deck. Sophie-Anne was sitting on one of the benches, and the room was empty. Everyone else was racing around, making repairs, leaving the room deserted but for the two of them. When he came in she turned, a serious, unreadable expression on her face. He didn't have to say a word, just took a seat by her side.

At first he thought she might say something, offer condolences or ask questions, but when she simply slipped her hand into his it became clear that she understood how precious silence was to him just then. Touching Uhura had been like a flood, but Sophie-Anne's emotions were more like a tide. They still came to him, unrelenting sadness and quiet sorrow, but he didn't feel so much like he was drowning. Instead they floated together, shared anguish making his fingers curl tightly around hers.

It was a full five minutes later when he finally spoke, eyes trained firmly on the stars streaming past the observation window. "I never told her," he said, finally daring to turn his head toward hers. "I expressed the sentiment but never said the words to her. Now she is beyond my reach."

Sophie-Anne tugged him closer, pressing her shoulder against his and leaning her head toward him. "I'm sure she knew, Spock. You're not nearly as mysterious as you'd like to think," she said, and her words washed over him. He took comfort in them for a split second before the door opened again.

"Captain, you asked me to keep you updated on the condition of the Vulcan High Council, but our communicators are still down on this deck and..." It was Doctor McCoy, and he looked, as the humans were fond of saying, "totally pissed".

XXX

_a/n: this update has been an inexcusably long time coming. i actually got distracted looking at pictures of karl urban. i wish this were not true, but it is..._

_i've really played up the whole vulcan telepathy thang, i'm not sure if the mechanics are right but i kind of imagine that when spock is all emotionally compromised he might get a little sloppy in his mental wanderings... plus i read somewhere that vulcans avoid skin contact because of the telepathic implications. oh! and in canon, i really love spock and uhura... i just need for things to play out a little differently in this one._


End file.
